DailyHaiku - A Daily Shot Of Zen

Paula Kirman

Paula Kirman has been writing songs and poetry her entire life, but became more prolific during her angst-ridden teenage years and subsequent adulthood, which has been equally laden with angst. She is a freelance writer, editor, photographer, activist, music lover, guitarist, bicycle commuter, and occasionally a juggler.

Patrick M. Pilarski

Patrick M. Pilarski is a writer, actor, and purveyor of rambunctious philosophical thought. He is currently pursing a Ph.D. in computer engineering at the University of Alberta, and is the managing producer of Edmonton's Basic Acid Theatre. Patrick's poetry has appeared in various physical and digital locations, including a recent broadcast on CBC Radio One. His first book of poetry The Day the Traffic Lights Went Dead is off to seek its fortune in the world, and he is editing his first two novels: MEMEory and Climbing Dennett's Tower.

Rebecca Traquair

Rebecca Traquair lives and writes in Edmonton, as she has for most of her life. She possesses an unquiet mind, which is not unlike a telltale heart. Sometimes, she gets so excited about an idea that she falls down, and non-ironically calls people "Dude." She has been told she'll accomplish great things one day, but her supporters at the time were probably not counting on the overwhelming forces of personal inertia. Rebecca is currently hard at work defying the laws of physics. If all goes well, gravity is next.

Frutiger Black

Frutiger Black is an unpublished writer of poetry and prose, frequent defiler of nunt.com, lover, dancer, and kick-boxing mo-fo. Frutiger claims to have co-authored The Rim-Job of the Ancient Mariner with John Keats, at the bequest of Samuel Coleridge: "… in order to set the record straight." Neither dead poet was available for comment, before completion of this bio. The manuscript has become a most sought-after underground publication. Frutiger Black lives in Edmonton.

Jocelyne Verret

Jocelyne Verret has published two bilingual books of poetry (Of Trees and Sea/Forêts et Océans and People from Here and Afar/Gens d'ici, gens d'ailleurs), the novel J'attendrai, and several children's books. She is President of the Stroll of Poets Society and of Verret Enterprises Ltd., the writing and translation company she founded in 1988. Born in Québec City and raised in New Brunswick, Jocelyne has studied in both French and English. She holds a Masters Degree in French Studies from the University of Sherbrooke. Jocelyne lived in Africa for three years before settling in Alberta in 1976.

Bryak Webster

Bryak Webster is a purebred haiku master trained by the late great Scottish poet Ivor Harrier, and has been writing haiku since the tender age of 19. He was born and raised in the frigid wasteland of Edmonton, Canada, and currently resides in the suburbs of Moscow, Russia, where he doesn't speak the language and lives in a near constant state of confusion. He finds writing about himself in the third person extremely awkward and shall stop presently.

Nicole Pakan, Co-Editor, DailyHaiku, is an active member of the Edmonton poetry and art communities as a poet, painter, candlesti... er... um, printmaker, potter and photographer. By day she masquerades as the communication manager for a non-profit organization; by night she can be caught flirting with words—frequenting the Raving Poets and Stroll of Poets readings. Nicole participates annually in the Roar Spoken Word Festival, the Edmonton Poetry Festival, the Edmonton Stroll of Poets Haven Series, and the Cortex multimedia exhibit. Her recent publication credits include filling Station, Other Voices, the Stroll of Poets Anthology, and Notebook Magazine. She may be contacted online at DailyHaiku.

Patrick M. Pilarski, Co-Editor, DailyHaiku, lives in Edmonton with his oolong tea and far too many tea pots. Patrick's poetry and reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in journals in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Japan, including PRISM international, The Antigonish Review, Other Voices, Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Simply Haiku, Contemporary Haibun Online, Roadrunner, Ribbons, Asahi Haikuist Network, Chrysanthemum, Haibun Today, White Lotus, Wisteria, Modern English Tanka, broadcast on CBC Radio One, and on the CD Raving Poets - Remixed. His first full-length collection of short-form poetry, Huge Blue (2009), is forthcoming from Leaf Press, and he is the author of one chapbook of experimental haiku and haibun: Five Weeks (2007). Patrick may be contacted online at DailyHaiku or (for non-DailyHaiku matters) at Pilarski.ca.

Michael Gravel, Past-Editor and Founder, DailyHaiku, is a writer based in Edmonton, Alberta. He's a founder and the frontman of Edmonton’s Raving Poets, and co-founder of The Roar Spoken Word Festival. He is a freelance writer, web designer, and professional presenter. In December 2007, his life was nearly ended by a pulmonary embolism. In response he authored the chapbook, The Fast Places (Red Nettle, 2008). He lives in a wee house with his wife, stepdaughter, and two incorrigible hounds. He lives to write, code, and spend time with his family.